More Than Fake
by Dying With A Smile
Summary: Her happiness was never fake; it was always real. Even though she had it hard, her true happiness remains. NxM
1. 12 Smile Like That

**Title: **More Than Fake  
**Author: **Etsuko O. Daikama

**Rating: **T  
**Category: **Romance/Drama  
**Pairing(s): **NxM

**Disclaimer:**Even when my days are cold or when my days grow old. Even if I threaten Tachibana with my malice, I would still not own Gakuen Alice.  
**Summary: **Her happiness was never fake; it was always real. Even though she had it hard, her true happiness remains. NxM

**Notes: **May contain OCCness.

* * *

_12. Smile Like That_

It was unbelievable. It was unfair. She was always happy while he was the one who got hurt. Happiness. It was something he wanted to possess but couldn't. With all the things he has been through, there's no way that he could stay happy. With all the painful burdens on his shoulders, it was difficult to have a smile on his face, the pile of heavy burdens kept piling over and over.

It wasn't fair.

All she had to do was get a box of Fluff Puffs or maybe one piece of that mouth-watering treat and she'll be the happiest person alive. Her smile would be worn from ear to ear and a giggle would emit from her parted lips before she took a bite of the delicious candy.

For him, happiness was something he couldn't obtain no matter how hard he strives to reach for it. He just couldn't get it into reach. He still treasures the memories he has that happened before he entered the school. The school that made him into something he didn't want to be; a murderer.

Every word he heard from the people around him; spitting insults at him or on the land he walks on. It's not like he wanted it to be like that; he was forced into something--or someone he didn't want to be. He wanted to be that boy who laughed at the silliest jokes, even though they were pretty cheesy. He wanted to laugh so freely.

Why can't he?

Why can't he have happiness?

Was it because of the darkness that surrounded him and made him its captive? If that was so, why can't he escape? He wanted to escape; he _needed_ to escape the never-ending darkness that consumed him when he was little boy.

His ears perked up when he heard tiny footsteps making their way towards him. A soft voice shouted his name, "Natsume!" The voice was enchanting. Something so soft like a beautiful melody that was playing in his ears. He loved the way she said his name. The way it rolled off her tongue so smoothly; it was a beautiful song that he always wanted to hear.

Even though he was jealous of the girl's happiness, he could never loathe her. As much as he tried to deny the fact that he was slowly starting to like her as a friend, the stronger the liking became. And soon his liking that was made for a friend became romantic feelings for the young girl.

He admitted it once that he liked her, mentally that is. He would never say it aloud where everyone can hear; but it has been stirring inside him to burst out the truth that he romantically likes the pig-tailed girl that was his partner.

Occasionally, when he'll drift off into Wonderland, he'll get dreams that he'll carve 'Natsume x Mikan' into every desk to show that Mikan was his and only his. One who rebels against his orders will face dying consequences. That's where his Alice came in handy.

Something poked his shoulder. _Poke. Poke._ He felt it again and it was already driving him insanely mad. Even though his eyes were closed, he had a scowl on his face to show whoever the unlucky person that was poking him, that he was not happy. But he questions, whenever was he?

"Natsume," that soft voice sang into his ear. His scowl softened a bit when he heard her voice saying his name, yet that scowl was still there. He felt her finger poke into his shoulder again. _Poke. Poke._"Wake up, Natsume, I want to ask you something."

Her finger was near to poking him once again, but he caught her wrist before she could irritate him any longer. He slowly opened his eyelids and revealed his crimson red eyes that were boring into the girl's soul. "What do you want?" he asked bleakly.

She struggled to get her wrist free but his grip was too tight. She used her free hand to try to get his grasp off her. She pulled one of his fingers off her skin; but it was complicated to even lift his finger. She used most of her strength to move at least one of his fingers, but when she did, he would always curl it back around her wrist.

"Can you let me go?" Mikan asked as she still attempted to break free from his clutches. Yet, he didn't let go. His eyes weren't looking at his hands like her eyes were, his eyes were looking intently at the girl. As if he was studying her features.

Auburn hair that swayed perfectly with the wind but was tied into two pigtails. Big chocolate-brown eyes that held a glint of happiness, and right now, determination. Peach skin that was painted beautifully all over her body and a rosy pink color that was lightly brushed against her cheeks. Her lips that were a darker shade of pink; it looked slightly wet. Maybe she was drooling earlier.

"Natsume!" she yelled as she tried and tried to lift one of his fingers off her. Salty, warm sweat was forming into little beads that was slowly running down her face. "Can't you let me go?"

Almost immediately, he answered, "Yes." He inwardly smirked when he saw her pout because she worked hard on getting his thumb removed from her wrist, now it was back on her skin again. His fingers were brushed lightly against her flesh and felt so smooth and soft, like it was fragile as glass. Too delicate to be broken.

"Then, why don't you?" Mikan asked and tried to pull her arm to her side. If lifting his fingers one-by-one wouldn't work, might as well try to get out fully. Her back was arching backwards and her free hand was on her arm that was held captive by Natsume's grip.

Her nails were digging into her skin, painfully. She felt it going in too deep and let her hand off her arm because she bleeds. "Smile," she heard his voice say. She stopped her horrible attempt at escaping from his grip and looked back at him, confused.

"What did you say?" she asked. Her eyes twinkled with innocence and her cheeks that were tinted with rosy pink was now fading away. Her lips were slightly parted and a bit bruised, it must have been because she was biting lip while trying to escape.

She heard him sigh and spoke again, "I don't like repeating myself." She tilted her head to her right, innocently. Maybe she wasn't getting it still. "Smile, idiot."

Instead of a smile like he requested, he heard her laugh. Now it was his turn to be confused. "I just remembered this one joke Tsubasa-sempai told me," Mikan said and held her stomach with her free hand. His cold stare softened a bit when he heard her laughter.

Soft melody that was singing beautifully into his ears. A song that he wanted to play over and over again. "Want me to tell you?" Mikan asked eagerly and leaned in closer to Natsume. Their faces were almost inches away.

"No," he answered and let go of her wrist that she was trying to set free earlier.

As if she completely ignored him, she started telling him the joke anyway, "OK," she giggled. "It goes like this..." Every once in a while, she would pause because her laughter took over before she could speak another word. Natsume didn't care; he was too busy staring at the girl that couldn't hold her gut in for one second.

He inwardly smiled.

Someday, he'll laugh like that.

He'll smile like that.

* * *

**A/N:** I planned this to be short. It still seems slightly rushed in some areas though. Darn it... Well, I haven't finished that one-shot that I have been working on for nearly a week. It's really irritating because it's not going the way I want it to be. D8

So I have to finish the rest of that certain one-shot and then proofread. That's going to be a while... -_groans_- I'm making a themed story for no reason at all. I was just completely and utterly bored. Most of my happy stories were caged by some dramatic/action story. I want to write one for Gakuen Alice, but it's going to be harder. Maybe I could write something about Natsume's missions. I don't know...

I've been trying to practice my writing recently; y'know, trying to get it more detailed and all. I don't know if I'm failing at that or succeeding. -_shrugs_-

- Etsuko O. Daikama (is now going to eat you all! XD)


	2. 20 Reactions

**Title: **More Than Fake  
**Author: **Etsuko O. Daikama

**Rating: **T  
**Category: **Romance/Drama  
**Pairing(s): **NxM

**Disclaimer:**Even when my days are cold or when my days grow old. Even if I threaten Tachibana with my malice, I would still not own Gakuen Alice.  
**Summary: **Her happiness was never fake; it was always real. Even though she had it hard, her true happiness remains. NxM

**Notes: **May contain OCCness.

* * *

_20. Reactions_

He didn't know how this happened. Last time he checked, he said no to this offer a million times and yet, here he was. Sitting on the floor with Mikan beside him. The TV screen provided light when everything around was dark. It was nearly midnight and the two were up, watching TV.

Mikan had asked Natsume earlier if he were to like to watch a Soap Opera with her and he answered no. She asked again with a 'please, with sprinkles on top' and he still said no. The nerve! But she did not give up and continued to ask. Asking soon became to begging when he kept saying no.

Seeing her desperate almost made Natsume laugh. But he didn't laugh; he just chuckled inwardly. When he closed his manga and sighed, that told Mikan that he was finally giving up, after pestering him for about three hours, asking if he wanted to see some Soap Opera later on.

So seeing her beg for him to watch a lame Soap Opera with her made him go with it--because he pitied her? What a jerk...

Now, the two were watching a Soap Opera that has been going on for about a half of an hour. "_I'm sorry, Ichirou-kun, but I love some one else,_" a woman said on the show. The man known as Ichirou came up from behind and hugged her tightly.

He whispered into her ear, "_Then just give me one last kiss._" The girl in the show turned around and their eyes met. Their eyes were boring into each other's soul; the man lowered himself until their lips were centimeters apart. "_I love you_." He said before he planted his lips against the girl's.

Natsume's eyebrow twitched when he saw the scene. He gave Mikan a side-way glance and saw her cheeks lightly brushed with pink. He glanced down at her lips and noticed they were a bit more plum than they usually were.

Before he made any wrong movement, he moved his gaze back on the TV. "_I'm sorry,_" the woman apologized and then came the fake tears. The woman left the room, pretending to cry her heart out but was over-acting.

Natsume rolled his eyes at the very bad acting that was on the Soap Operas. He found it odd that all Soap Operas had very bad actors in them; no matter how dramatic the storyline was. He was wasting his time watching something incredibly stupid when he could be sound asleep.

The TV went to commercials and Mikan placed her hand on his arm and slightly shook him. "Natsume, how was that?" Mikan asked without taking her eyes off the TV set.

A couple of blinks and an answer came, "It sucked."

Mikan took her eyes off the TV set and sent a glare to Natsume. "It was horribly sad!" Mikan cried. "How can you say that?"

"You looked more shocked than sad," Natsume said bluntly. "You knew it sucked too; don't try to make excuses with your words."

A soft sigh blew from Mikan's lips. "You're right," she said. Suddenly, she started laughing. She was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach; then tears were coming from her eyes. "It was so horrible, that it was hilarious!" Mikan rolled all over the ground with her hands still clutching onto her stomach.

Natsume stared at her, shocked. He didn't expect her to laugh at a Soap Opera. At the beginning, he expected her to cry her eyes out and ask him to get more tissues for her. That was his plan of escape, but it never came.

After a couple of minutes of boring commercials, the Soap Opera came back on. Natsume would have chosen the commercials more than the Soap Opera. It wasn't as cheesy.

The set in the TV was moved into a hospital where a patient was lying down on a bed, trying to breathe. A doctor came in with a clipboard in hand, telling the guests that Ichirou won't live any longer. Soon the doors were opened and in came that woman that Ichirou dearly loved.

"_Ichirou-kun!_" the woman cried and grabbed for his hand. "_Please, live on. Live for me._" The doctor then turned to her and told her the details that was going on with the patient. When he was finished, he left the room, telling them they could say their last good-byes to Ichirou.

"_Koumi-san, I think he maybe dying because of a broken heart,_" a man said to the woman that was crying those fake tears. "_Just yesterday, he was fine when you didn't reject him. But now..._" The camera turned to the man who was laying in the bed, breathing his final breaths.

Natsume placed his elbow on his knee and his face on his palm. The show was too boring.

The picture on the TV froze and at the bottom it said, _To Be Continued..._

Mikan threw out a fit of laughter and said, "That was a terrible storyline! I can't believe Permy watches these shows!"

Natsume scoffed and said, "That was useless. Who dies of a broken heart?" He rolled his eyes and placed his hand back down onto his lap. "Ichirou must be really weak if he were to die from a broken heart in three stupid hours. And who the hell is Koumi in love with--?"

He paused when he saw that he was talking to Mikan about a Soap Opera. Not only that, but he sounded like he _enjoyed_the show. There was an awkward silence between them and Mikan desperately tried to hold her laughter in by biting her bottom lip.

"I'm leaving," Natsume said and got up from where he sat. He walked to the Mikan's door and left without saying another thing.

When Mikan thought it was safe, she bursted out laughing, holding her stomach like before.

* * *

**A/N:** So lamely, shortly rushed. It was horrible. Anyway, the reactions were based on a true story. Slightly. At first, when I watched a few parts of a Soap Opera (don't ask why I was watching), I started laughing my gut out on horribly it was.

Then I watched it again for about three minutes or maybe less and I started going, "What's up with this? I mean, who kisses a person just like that?" Then I left when I heard myself.

I hate Soap Operas.

- Etsuko O. Daikama (will loathe Soap Operas for the rest of her _young_ life)


	3. 18 Routines

**Title: **More Than Fake  
**Author: **Etsuko O. Daikama

**Rating: **T  
**Category: **Romance/Drama  
**Pairing(s): **NxM

**Disclaimer: **I wasn't born where I live, it's not easy for me to receive from someone who wanted to give, I don't live in Dallas and I certainly don't own Gakuen Alice.  
**Summary: **Her happiness was never fake; it was always real. Even though she had it hard. Her true happiness remains. NxM

**Notes: **May contain OCCness

* * *

_18. Routines_

It was always the same for Natsume in the morning. He would wake up, get ready, walk down the hallway and bump "coincidentally" into Mikan and see what kind of panty she was wearing. She would get mad and start yelling insults at him while he would easily shake them off.

Same, boring rountine. Most people would like to spice it up a little and do something different. Even if it was really minor like waking up a bit later than usual. Whatever it was, they wanted something different. Apparently, Natsume was going to try that today.

He woke up a few seconds sooner before his alarm clock started going off. He sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly, adjusting his sight to the brightness that was coming from the windows. Note to self: get a darker shade of curtains.

Natsume pulled his blanket off him and started making his way towards his closet to set out his uniform. He opened the door to his closet and then his bedroom door flung open, revealing a worried-looking Ruka. "Natsume!" Ruka yelled breathlessly. "Sakura's hurt; she's in the infirmary!"

Natsume also noticed Ruka was still in his pajamas but that didn't matter right now. He had to see how bad Mikan was hurt. The two friends dashed together to the infirmary, worried about their long-time crush. They both had fallen for the auburn-haired girl; even though Natsume wanted Ruka to be happy, he still got worried if Mikan did get hurt in any way.

A picture of Hotaru standing outside a room came into view, staring at the door that said 'thirty-four' on it. The two slowed down, knowing that Mikan was close. Ruka and Natsume stopped at a good distance from Hotaru. The two started to pant from exhaustion.

"Nii-san said Mikan has a likely chance to die because she's internally bleeding," Hotaru said, not taking her sight off the door. "One person may go in and say their last good-byes; I did it earlier." Hotaru turned her head to stare at the shocked boys. Her eyes were near to tears; a new sight was seen.

Natsume gulped audibly and walked toward the door. His hand grabbed onto the doorknob and twisted it. "Make Mikan happy," Hotaru said, tears rolling down her face.

The boy nodded and pushed the door open, closing it behind him when he was done. He saw Mikan lying on a bed peacefully. She was still breathing. A quick sigh of relief emitted from Natsume's lips and he walked slowly over to the girl.

Mikan's ears perked up when she heard the footsteps. She slowly cracked her eyes open to see Natsume hovering over her. She let out a soft smile and said, "Ohayou Natsume."

Natsume stayed quiet for a moment to scan her if she had any viewable injuries. Mikan coughed with a hand covering her mouth. A small patch of blood fell onto her hand and Natsume saw it clearly. His lips started to quiver and he felt like throwing up. He didn't want to see her hurt.

He took a deep breath; it's now or never. "Mikan..." he whispered almost inaudibly. Mikan turned her head to look over at Natsume who had his bangs covering his face. "I--" Mikan started coughing uncontrollably and blood started splattering over the white sheets that she was tucked under.

Mikan's heart beat was going rapidly fast and everything was getting dizzy. Her vision turned to a color of red and her hearing was turning fuzzy. Her breaths started to go unsteady and her throat was burning.Sooner than expected, everything turned black and her breaths turned into nothingness.

_"Mikan!!"_

Natsume jolted up from his bed. Sweat was rolling down his face and he panted. The sun was slowly rising, he could tell from his bright-colored curtains. He looked around his room to see nothing has changed. He threw his blanket off and started to get ready for school.

After a few minutes of washing himself and getting dressed--an average routine before going to school or work--he was finally ready and left his room to walk down the hallways that showed some tired students. The students slouched and groaned, walking with their eyes slightly closed.

Natsume walked passed everyone and took his everyday route to homeroom. With his hands in his pockets, he watched which hallway he walked into. If he wanted to bump into her, he would have to take the right hallways.

A scream rang in his ears, "I'm late!" Natsume was nearing the corner of the hallway and bumped into Mikan, making her fall on her butt, giving Natsume a chance to check out what she's wearing under her skirt.

"Candy Cane?" Natsume questioned. "I never knew you would wear holiday panties when it passed months ago." Mikan stared at him with her mouth hanging wide open and her eyes as big as saucers.

One scream can be heard, "Natsume, you pervert!!"

Same, boring routines. People like to jazz it up but Natsume would prefer to have his favorite routine.

* * *

**A/N:** The heck did this come from? It looks more than rushed. This is a very disappointing chapter. D8

The answer to your question, **ceres**, well... it's just a random number I pick. Since it's a themed story; their ages in every chapter changes.

**lynn.mkn.kat02**, sure, I'll be your friend. I'll love to! 8D

I believe I'll update this sooner since I got another idea to write something down. I wished I made a funny chapter like the second one. It _is_ categorized as a Romance/Drama. -_shrugs_-

- Etsuko O. Daikama


	4. 2 Favor

**Title: **More Than Fake  
**Author: **Etsuko O. Daikama

**Rating: **T  
**Category: **Romance/Drama  
**Pairing(s): **NxM

**Disclaimer: **I just don't own Gakuen Alice.  
**Summary: **Her happiness was never fake; it was always real.NxM

**Notes: **May contain OCCness.

* * *

_2. Favor_

He was lying on his bed; purchased fans were blowing with great strength at his face. His bangs blew left and right whenever a fan's wind brushes his face. Today, it wasn't _warm_; it was _hot_. If you were to do a job outside, then you would feel completely miserable due to the unbelievable weather outside.

One of those miserable people HAD to be Mikan Sakura. She had to pick the weeds out of the garden that the school had planted recently. It was another thing for Natsume to favor, because he could just look out his window and see the girl picking the weeds out very slowly. What he couldn't favor is that there was absolutely no wind. What crap for him.

Mikan was in her Spring/Summer uniform. Even then, she was sweating heavily like buckets of nasty salt water were dumped on her. She wiped away the sweat that was on her forehead and then she tugged on the weed again.

Weeds were scattered all over the garden and Mikan only ripped out three from its roots. Using one hand, she fanned herself to slightly cool herself down from the terrifying heat. "This… is… unforgivable…" she mumbled.

I bet you can guess right which teacher gave her this job. If you guessed Jinno, then you're completely right. Or maybe read too much of Gakuen Alice or read too many fanfictions about Jinno being so heartless. Either way, you'd still be right.

Mikan dug her fingers into the ground and pulled the dirt out. She captured a few pieces of the weed but she did not capture the roots. She dug her hands in further to grab the roots and placed them aside. That's four weeds now.

While Mikan was pulling weeds in hell, Natsume was enjoying the breeze from the amazing fans. He was content in his bedroom and then there was a _knock_on his door. He waited till he heard someone speak. "Natsume, it's Ruka," the voice said.

Natsume got up from his bed and walked over to the door. He unlocked all the locks—he had six locks—and opened the door to see Ruka who had a small amount of sweat on his face. When Natsume opened the door, Ruka felt the breeze in Natsume's room brush against his face. "Wow, comparing the hallways to your room, it's the beginning of Spring," Ruka said and wiped his cheeks with the back of his palm.

"I have a couple of fans in here," Natsume said, indicating to the fans that were scattered all over his room.

Ruka looked in his room from the door way—indeed, Natsume did have a quite number of fans in his room. "Can I come in?" Ruka asked. Natsume moved aside to let Ruka come in and closed the door behind him. "Your room is a lot cooler than mine." Ruka walked to Natsume's window and looked outside. There he saw Mikan picking weeds out of the garden.

Quirking an eyebrow, Ruka asked, "How long has Sakura been working on picking those weeds?"

Natsume came over to Ruka to stand beside him and replied, "Like I would know. I just remember how crazy she went when she couldn't pick the first weed out."

"What did she do?"

"She started talking to the weed like it was person and started stomping on it, then she circled around it and actually tripped over it. Then she started pulling at it like it was hair."

"Was there any wind earlier?" Ruka asked unconsciously.

Natsume quirked an eyebrow at Ruka's question and asked, "Why?"

Realizing what he just asked, Ruka flushed and started stuttering, "N-No reason a-at all."

Natsume scoffed and said, "And she says I'm perverted."

The two watched Mikan tug the weed out. Pulling so hard that it had to come out any second. But when she did pull too hard, she flipped over, revealing her underwear to the public. Natsume had his chance to see her printed underwear, now it was time for him to do his job and let no one else know what kind of underwear she was wearing.

A small flame sparked on Mikan's skirt, making her conscious once again. She started shrieking and tried to put out the fire. The fire died out after a while and Mikan looked around her, thinking Natsume was near.

"Does she know you live right here?" Ruka asked.

"No," Natsume answered and inwardly smirked. He found another thing to favor.

* * *

After a few hours of pulling weeds out of the garden, Mikan realized that she had missed lunch four hours back. Now she only had a couple of weeds to pull out. A celebration was running through her mind.

_Splash!_Whoa, where the heck did that come from? Mikan felt water at her foot and she looked behind her. She found water balloons remains in the grass.

_Splash!_That time it hit her face. It was refreshing and all, but she didn't want to get wet, especially in a white shirt. Mikan looked around to find the suspect that was throwing water balloons at her. She found none.

_Splash!_It hit directly at the front of her shirt. She shrieked and covered the front of her body. "Who's throwing water balloons?" she asked no one.

But in reply, another water balloon came down to hit her in the arm. "Ow!" she mumbled. "That one hurt, y'know!"

Mikan heard a tree rustle and looked to it. She saw a pink water balloon fall from the tree and onto the ground but it didn't burst. The young nullifier walked over to the water-filled balloon and picked it up. She automatically threw it up the tree and it splashed. Drips of water fell on her but she was certain it hit someone because she heard someone mumble.

"Who's up there?" Mikan asked.

In reply, a water balloon hit her once again.

And another.

"Stop that!" Mikan demanded. "Who's up there?"

The tree rustled again and a head poked out. Raven-hair was seen and red eyes looked at the young, wet girl. "Who's up here is me, what's up here are water balloons and they want to meet you," Natsume said.

Natsume draped one of his arms down and it had a red water balloon. He threw it directly at Mikan who was soaked from head-to-toe.

That was another thing Natsume favored. Water balloons.

But whom he favored the most was Mikan Sakura.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm back and I've written another chapter for this story. I have a few other inspirations for this story. I was going to have this written in a different way but it kind of did a twirl. I hoped you enjoyed this. I know it sucks. Please forgive me. I am not in the comforts of my computer. D8

Plus, water balloons sound very tempting. It is burning inside my room and I'm sweating. Eight more days till my birthday. Isn't that grand? XD And I have a meeting on that day!

OK, I want to say that I really like Hayate. I don't know if there other Hayate fangirls here. I know Hayate is all stuck-up and he's Sumire's older brother. But you know, if you get to know those two siblings, you'll eventually start to like them.

- Etsuko O. Daikama


	5. 8 Sleeping Beauty

**Title: **More Than Fake  
**Author: **Etsuko O. Daikama

**Rating: **T  
**Category: **Romance/Drama  
**Pairing(s): **NxM, one-sided RxM

**Disclaimer: **I just don't own Gakuen Alice.  
**Summary: **Her happiness was never fake; it was always real. Even though she had it hard, her true happiness remains. NxM

**Notes: **May contain OCCness.

* * *

_8. Sleeping Beauty_

Every day, before the sun was over the trees from the Northern forest, a little blond boy would be out in front of the middle school female dorms. He would always carry a few pebbles in his hand and then throw at a certain window with all his might to get it reach the third-story window. And when he reached for the fourth pebble, the window would open and show a weary-looking auburn-hair girl. She would casually wave at him and yell "thank you" to him.

He always left with a satisfactory smile on his face and a couple of pebbles in his hand that he was going to save for the next day. But whenever he woke the beautiful mistress up, she still always had to rush to get ready and then eat breakfast with only a few people left in the cafeteria. She did improve her tardiness—instead of being late to class, she came in at the last second.

She was thankful, everyone could tell that. If it had not been for Ruka, she would've received another detention by Jinno much to her chagrin. She still had a month full of detentions with different teachers to fulfill.

Every now and then, Mikan would be another step closer to getting detention. It wasn't because she was being tardy again; rather she was tired and had fallen asleep during class. Also, it could've been she mouthed off to the teacher unconsciously. She received warnings but since she was tired, she didn't take them as seriously as she would have if she was fully awake.

Whenever those "every now and thens" would happen, Ruka would feel guilty and disappointed. He always thought he didn't wake her up at the right time or was there to witness to see her fully awaken. He just threw a few pebbles at her window and left right after he saw Mikan go to the window and show her gratitude by saying two simple words.

This time, he planned, he would go to her door and wake her up. Maybe it would be better then, he assumed. So the next day, he hurried to get ready and sneaked out of his dorm to go to the female dorms. He didn't have pebbles, he just had himself. And that's all he needed for this planned routine.

Reaching the door and hearing alarm clocks buzzing through the hallways, he knocked softly on the door that he possibly never touched it. Was he soft to Mother Nature all around? Even when Mother Nature was painted and had a plaque on it that had the name that belonged to a girl he liked? Maybe he didn't fully understand that he had to _wake_ Mikan up, not sneak into her room politely.

When he knocked the second time, he invited himself in and turned the bronze-colored knob, creaking the door open to see Sleeping Beauty resting. Her small figure was hidden by the thick covers and yet her tiny feet managed to peep out from the bottom of the blanket.

Her pink lips were parted and her morning breath came in and out in a rhythmic pattern. Her fingers curled at the edge of the blanket that touched her chin and her hair was in two braided pigtails. Her bangs were slanted to her left; the direction to which the position she was sleeping in.

Ruka moved his feet quietly across the wooden floor; his toes only touching the ground. He wanted to be as quiet as mouse before he woke his Sleeping Beauty with bad morning breath up. Even though waking her up was the only reason he came in. Unless he came in to admire her beauty first and then wake her up as if he just got there.

Closing in on her, he reached his arm to touch her shoulder—the only shoulder that was out in the open. He gently moved her shoulder, ignoring the one-sided electric connection he felt through his fingertips.

Out of his mouth came the Sleeping Beauty's name, "Sakura…" He gently moved her shoulder back and forth again, her name emitting from his mouth another time. "Sakura, please wake up. You'll be late to class if you don't wake up."

He remembered that Mikan had once told him that if she didn't wake up, just pinch her nose to stop her breathing. It will certainly wake her up, she had once said with a positive smile. And so he did.

Moving his two fingers, the index and the "birdie" (middle) finger toward her nose, he watched himself entrap the fair lady's nose between his fingers. He counted to five so he could release her; he didn't want to know what _would_ happen if he counted longer. Then he heard a small roar emit from her open mouth.

That's right; her mouth was wide open this whole time. He stared at her lips—they were pink and full. He assumed they were warm and soft. He moved his once was used to pinch her nose index finger and trailed her lips. How _enticing _it would be to have his lips against hers. To feel the warmness and the love he desired longingly from her.

He shook his head to wake himself up. He was there for a reason and that's to wake her up, nothing else. So he put one of his hands under her chin and pushed, making her mouth shut. Then he pinched her nose once again. Counting once over, five… four… three… two… one…

She wasn't waking up.

Immediately he let go of her and started to roughly shake her. He was desperate to know that she was still alive. He started to yell out her name, "Sakura! Sakura!"

"Ruka-pyon, what do you want?" she asked and he stopped shaking her like a madman. He was in such relief to see her beautiful chocolate eyes open.

"I thought you would never wake up, Sakura," Ruka said and let his arms fall down to his sides. "You had me worried."

"Oh," Mikan looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, I'm sorry that I worried you."

He waved it off and told her to get ready or else she'll receive a detention. And that's what got her up and running.

* * *

"Ruka," Natsume called after he saw his best friend enter to classroom in a rush. "Where were you?" The curious expression never left the little boy's face until Ruka gave him an answer.

"I was busy trying to wake Sakura up," the blond child turned to look at Natsume. "She didn't wake up until after awhile. She had me worried at one point because I thought I killed her."

Between the both of them, it had turned unnecessarily quiet. Then Natsume's next chosen words perked Ruka's ears up. "Let me wake her up next time."

"Eh?" Ruka looked confused when he saw how serious Natsume was. It wasn't really necessary to be so serious about such a minor topic. Mikan only asked for a favor from Ruka so she can lay off the detentions a bit less.

"I know you're doing her a favor, but," he paused, "let me take care of it next time. Just once."

Hearing how much Natsume cared about this got Ruka thinking. It would be OK if Natsume did wake her up. He wouldn't hurt her. So he agreed. "OK, do you want me to tell Sakura?"

"No, I will," he replied.

… No, he won't…

* * *

The next morning came quicker than what the blond boy would have expected. He was staring at the blank wall across from his bed; it felt strange to not get up in a hurried mess to awaken his Sleeping Beauty (his crush) with a kiss (a few dashes of pebbles on her window).

But Natsume must be doing his job already. Waking her up must be easy for him unless he loses his patience…

Natsume had remembered what Ruka told him what he usually did. Ruka threw pebbles at Mikan's window to wake her up. _That wakes her up?_ He questioned and clearly forgot to bring _pebbles_ with him. So instead ticking her window with pebbles, he searched for nearby stones, which happened to be a rock. A rock that was bigger than his hand.

Picking the rock up with one hand, since he was so capable of doing so, he chucked it at a third-story window. It broke through the glass and then a weary-looking girl came to the window to examine the damage.

"What the heck happened here?" she screamed.

Oh, shit. It was that Permy-girl's room.

Natsume made a dash toward the building so he wouldn't be caught by his not-so secret admirer, Sumire Shouda.

He pressed his back against the wall and tilted his head upward to watch the girl look out the window and return into the center of her room. Not that he could see that…

Quietly, he came back to his regular spot. This time he's counting how many windows down from the Permy-girl's room. Let's see, it was four windows down from the cat-dog's room. …Ah! There it is!

Natsume started looking for another stone and found one that was even _bigger_ than the last one. There's no doubt that _his_ crush wouldn't wake up to this. So aiming it perfectly, he chucked the stone to the window, making a crash through the window. She should be running to the window anytime soon.

Anytime now…

...

She's not running to the window—why isn't she running to the window?

Ruka was telling him that a couple of pebbles tapping against her window woke her up? That's a load of bull-shit.

There was a little tick under the eye of Natsume. He put his finger in the air and pointed to her window. Then there was a scream.

His crush ran to the window (careful to the glass under her feet after she stepped on a shard), thinking it was the only logical area where _he_ would hit her. She saw him standing on the ground in the early morning, his finger pointing at her.

"Where's Ruka-pyon?" She yelled at him.

"Sleeping," he yelled up at her.

"He should be waking me up!"

"Too bad."

"Oh, and thanks for making a mess in here!"

"You're welcome."

What a wonderful way to start the day…

* * *

**A/N:** I feel like a huge dork wearing a band-aid on her forehead. Seriously… I wish this was better but it wasn't. I had planned out all in my head yesterday. But that was yesterday and today's today. Dang…

- Etsuko O. Daikama (神聖なフランス語泡)


	6. 16 Indirect Touch

**Title: **More Than Fake  
**Author: **Etsuko O. Daikama

**Rating: **T  
**Category: **Romance/Drama  
**Pairing(s): **NxM

**Disclaimer: **Even when my days are cold or when my days grow old. Even if I threaten Tachibana with my malice, I would still not own Gakuen Alice.  
**Summary: **Her happiness was never fake; it was always real. Even though she had it hard, her true happiness remains. NxM

**Notes: **May contain OCCness.

* * *

_16. Indirect Touch_

That's it. He was certainly fed up. _Fed. Up_.

If there was anything that he was not feeling right now would be joyously happy. Only his "unfaithful" partner was that. And it annoyed him to no end.

Why had he marked his partner "unfaithful," you ask?

The only reason is because she's been dating some dork (OK, he wasn't really a dork), who happened to be his best friend. Yes, indeed. Mikan has been dating Natsume's friend for nearly three months. And he's been trying to avoid her for three months. But that can't happen when she's your partner, right?

"Why are you avoiding me?" she asked for the umpteenth time that day. "Did I do something wrong—wait, I couldn't do anything wrong because I haven't been with you since you've been avoiding me. Did Persona tell you to stay away from me again?"

He made no move with his lips to make an answer come forth. He wasn't the only one annoyed at the moment. Mikan was just as pissed as he was because she received no answer from him.

Natsume had to keep repeating to himself, _this is Ruka's girlfriend. Control yourself._ Of course, he didn't want to betray his best friend by making that girl his own. No, he said to himself, she's just a girl and nothing can get in between him and his best friend. _She's _just_ a girl._

Yeah, just a girl he _loves_.

He was aware when Ruka first had feelings for the fair lady. Ruka started to act all sweet once again and gave some respect to her by calling her, '_Sakura-san.'_ Not just a spat-out Sakura. And when Ruka developed feelings for the girl, it was when Natsume still hated her.

Yes, Natsume did meet the girl first but he still didn't like her first. He was all against her from the beginning and then after a while, he also developed feelings for her. And boy, when he did, Koko had a fun time reading his mind that whole week.

First, he'll deny the fact that he started liking her, mentally. Then he'll think something absolutely great about her, like the fact when he got close to her at the Special Ability Class's genie RPG, she smelled fantastic. Strawberries with a mixture of tangerines—intoxicating, really. Then he'll think she's an ugly cow and say it aloud when the moment asks for it.

Of course the moment will ask for it, why makes you think he does out of his own feel will? And Youichi? He probably didn't even know what 'ugly' meant. He just said it because Natsume said it.

"Natsume, are you listening to me?"

"…No."

She narrowed her eyes at him—well, the back of his head that was probably three-to-four inches taller than her. "And why not?" she questioned as she folded her arms across her chest that was still flat.

"Because I don't need to," he answered with a dull look in his crimson eyes. His back was still toward her and he kept walking on like she was never there. Of course, it's hard to _not_ tell she's there. Her voice was boisterous as… well, there's nothing to compare her to. We all know that she's too darn loud.

"That's a load of bull!" Mikan spat out and curled her five fingers into a fist. "You've been trying to avoid me for three friggen months!"

"Actually, it's been two months, three weeks and five days," he corrected without taking a glance at her. "You should do your math correctly."

Biting down on her bottom lip, she thought of a question that she thought would make him stumble. "And why did you count the exact time you've been avoiding me—? Wait a minute, that's been how long I've been dating Ruka-pyon."

When the realization dawned upon her, her eyes widened with shock and she became speechless. But with Natsume, he just chose not to speak a word to girl that's behind him.

The silence became annoying to her; she thought he would've at least said something. Her left eyebrow perked up in question and she asked, "Is there something wrong with hanging with your best-friend's girlfriend?"

_Of course, there is. Why do think I've been avoiding you?_ His strong back (Mikan's opinion, courtesy of her strange fetish of backs) didn't bend. It probably stood up straighter and that could mean something to Mikan. There was something wrong with hanging with her.

"What's wrong hanging around me? I'm sure Ruka wouldn't think we were together secretly," Mikan said and waited for another silent reaction. But she didn't receive a silent one; rather, she got a response.

"I _know_ he wouldn't think that; he's my best friend." _Oddly enough, I want that to happen but I don't want to destroy Ruka's happiness. Damn my luck._"Well then," she placed her hand on his broad shoulder, "what's wrong hanging around me?"

Quickly, Natsume shoved her hand off his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see her face; his crimson eyes glaring at her. "Don't touch me."

She narrowed her eyes at him and quickly got in front of him before he started moving again. Curling her fingers into a fist and then taking her forefinger out, she pointed at his forehead. It was dangerously close.

"Don't touch me," he said once again.

"I'm not." Her finger moved a teeny bit closer.

"I _said_, don't touch me."

Her eyebrow perked up again. "So I'm touching your forehead without really touching it?"

The re-appearing twitch that was under Natsume's eye came again and he thought he got rid of it. "Yes," he said through his gritted teeth.

"How so?"

"Don't taunt me, woman."

"I'm not taunting you."

Then a sudden thought popped into her mind. Maybe she could taunt, even just a little. Hey, he's done it to her before, so why can't she?

She stood on her toes and inched her face closer to his. She puckered her lips out and said, "So am I kissing you then? Am I _passionately_ making-out with you?"

"Wow, I never knew how much you wanted me, polka-dots," Natsume said and smirked at the girl who was still short a couple of inches on her toes.

The girl flushed at the comment and said she never wanted him, but no matter how times she'll say that, Natsume would deny it.

"But I guess you're right," he admitted.

"I'm right? About what?" Mikan asked, amazed how Natsume admitted that Mikan was right, for the first time nonetheless.

"That you weren't touching me." Natsume shrugged in a way that was not in his characteristics. "I mean, this is touching you." He poked her forehead with his middle finger.

"No duh," Mikan said and crossed her arms.

"Right," he nodded. "And this is kissing you." He moved his face close to hers and pressed his lips against hers as quickly as possible.

"U-Um, yeah, i-it was," Mikan stuttered.

He smirked; oh, how he loved to taunt her himself. "_This _is passionately making-out with you." He pulled her head against his once again and tucked her lower lip in between his. Compared to the earlier one, this was something magnificent. And OK, Mikan had to admit that it was… magnificent.

And it was seen by a boyfriend that came in with a shock expression spread across his face. Oh damn…

* * *

**A/N: **The whole fetish thing was not my idea. It's obvious that I go onto mangafox way too much. That discussion was hilarious though. xD

Well, I found another nerve in my leg during this week and it was sore that whole day. My friend had to show me it. Her dad showed me one near my elbow—I hated that one, too. Argh! Dang nerve system!

- Etsuko O. Daikama (P.S. Don't touch my nerves)


End file.
